Palm Sunday & Holy Week 2017

Noted below are offerings for Palm Sunday and Holy Week. Join us as we remember His death in anticipation of the resurrection.

The Sunday of the Passion: April 9

Both services on April 9 will begin with the blessing of the palms and a procession into the church in a reenactment of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem – remembering when people gathered, waving palms and shouting, “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Weather permitting, the 8:15 AM service will begin on the porch just outside the front door into the narthex and the 10:45 AM service will begin at the fountain on the Brenau lawn.

Both services will also feature Holy Communion, lessons, and a reading of the Passion Gospel.

Maundy Thursday: April 13

Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word for commandment “mandatum.” In John 13:34, Jesus says to his disciples “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another just as I have loved you.” This year we will join together with First Baptist, St. Paul United Methodist, and St. John Baptist churches for supper and worship.

Supper will be served in the Banquet Hall of First Baptist Church at 5:30 PM. Cost: $7/adults

A Maundy Thursday service of foot washing and communion will be held in the First Baptist Church sanctuary at 7:00 PM.

Grace Church parishioners are invited to gather back in our nave at 8:30 PM for the stripping of the altar. This stark removal of everything we love and use to celebrate sets the tone for the hours of despair that are associated with Jesus’ crucifixion and death. It is a solemn service after which worshippers exit in silence without dismissal.

Sacred Watch It is an ancient custom of the Church to keep a watch before the Reserved Sacrament following the liturgy of Maundy Thursday. The watch recalls the time Jesus and his disciples spent in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper and before Jesus’ arrest. Parishioners are invited to sign up online or at the information station for a one hour shift between 9:00 PM Thursday evening until the watch ends at noon on Good Friday with the beginning of the proper Good Friday liturgy.

Good Friday: April 14

Good Friday, a name that derives from “God’s Friday”, is the day we commemorate the crucifixion of our Lord. A Good Friday service will be held in the nave at 12:00 PM and is open to our entire community.

As has been the custom of the Episcopal Church USA for many years, any offering received on Good Friday will be send to support the work of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.

Following the service, a Stations of the Cross procession will begin at Grace Church and continue down Green Street, ending at First Baptist Church. Along the way, we will pause for readings and prayers along Green Street. Return transportation to Grace Episcopal Church will be provided from First Baptist. Those unable to walk this distance are invited to stay in the nave at Grace and share in the Stations by using our parish Stations around the columns in the nave.

Holy Saturday: April 15

On the morning of Holy Saturday, you are invited to spend some time in prayer and reflection at home, meditating on the story of Jesus’ friends coming to anoint his body as it lay in the tomb. Holy Saturday is an incredibly powerful space and time—often overlooked in the business of the season. It provides us a space for reflection on that rich “in between time,” the time when the disciples wondered together what would come next in their lives.